WESTFORD, MASS. (WHDH) - A person was found dead Monday after a search at a quarry in Westford, state and local officials said.
Speaking with 7NEWS, Deputy Fire Chief Mike Denehy, said an initial call came in around 4:15 p.m. reporting a person dove into Merrill’s Quarry and did not resurface.
Crews from several surrounding cities and towns responded, sending dive teams and boats. After roughly 1.5 hours, Denehy said, divers recovered the person from roughly 40 feet of water. Despite life-saving efforts, the person did not survive.
In a statement, the Massachusetts State Police said the person who died was an 18-year-old man, adding that he had been swimming with several friends.
State police said the man began struggling and went underwater while attempting to swim across the quarry.
In addition to local crews, state police said a state police helicopter aided in the search for the missing swimmer.
The incident remained under investigation as of Monday night.
In the meantime, Denehy emphasized that no one is allowed in or around the quarry, saying the site is private property.
Responding to these types of calls at the quarry, Denehy said, is challenging in more ways than one.
“We’ve been told 100 feet,” he said. “We’ve been told even deeper. We’ve never really found out how deep it is. There’s a lot of stuff in there. Dangerous stuff, cranes and stuff like that.”
Despite warnings, Denehy said crews were at the quarry last week responding to a report of a person who jumped in.
“Fortunately, he was able to be rescued and is recovering,” Denehy said. “So, it’s a yearly thing we come up here for something.”
“It’s private property. It’s dangerous,” Denehy continued. “Visibility is maybe four feet deep. You don’t know what’s down there when you jump in.”
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